LINCOLN — Local governments should have more flexibility to complete road and bridge repairs under new regulations approved by Governor Ricketts.
The hope is to speed up the process for these projects by removing barriers. An example of this is to allow communities to replace bridge pilings on some rural roads with pilings of the same design, instead of having to pay for a new bridge built under current construction design standards.
“These new standards, in totality, are liberating, not constraining,” says Roger Figard of the Nebraska Board of Public Roads Classifications and Standards. “They provide more flexibility using common sense.”
“Cities and counties can spend more time working on their projects and their problems rather than preparing information justification to come to the board in Lincoln to try and justify doing something that doesn’t meet a minimum design standard,” Figard adds.
These new regulations apply to state highways, county roads, and municipal streets. Ricketts adds that this should help two of Nebraska’s largest industries: agriculture and tourism.
